Unraveling Fast
by chalaess
Summary: Stephanie and Morelli break up and life gets really complicated, really fast, after that. Please read and review.
1. The Test

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Ok, so I have to say I have no clue where this is going. I just had a random idea for it. So if it seems plotless, that's because it is. At one point, however, I'll probably think of a plot for it and then do that. But bear with me until then. It may end up having no plot other than being an RS fic.

And rinskigoddess, in reply to your question about my novel, it's like a real, send to a publisher, thing. As for the making money off it, that would be nice, but first I need to finish it and make it actually be good enough to get published :)

Oh! Also, I've decided that this is probably going to have Diesel in it. So, if you haven't read Visions of Sugar Plums, I'll just give a tiny summary. Diesel is this guy with magical powers. I actually read VOSP (I shall call it that, even though I've never seen anyone else call it that…so whatev) quite a while ago, so I don't really remember him very well. So, if he's OOC, sorry. I just remember thinking that Ranger should have been in that book so there could be some interesting Diesel/Ranger confrontations.

Chapter 1

Kneeling by the toilet, I finished throwing up and then just stayed there for a few seconds to make sure I really _was_ finished, then I stood, flushing the toilet. As I washed my hands and rinsed out my mouth, I worried.

About two months ago, I broke up with Morelli for real. It wasn't really much of a break up, more of a discussion in which we both came to the conclusion that our relationship was going no where and we didn't love each other. A week later, after a distraction job for Ranger, I somehow ended up in my bed with him (him being Ranger, not Morelli or the man I was trying to distract). As before, he left abruptly the next morning.

And that night is the source of my problems. I'm three weeks late on my period and spend a lot of time throwing up. Probably I was pregnant. And probably I should take a test to find out for sure, but I was happy in the land of denial. As soon as I took the test, I couldn't deny it any more. This, of course, was assuming that I was pregnant. Which, I assured myself at least ten times a day, I definitely wasn't. Still, a test would be a good idea, probably.

Having decided that I needed to buy a pregnancy test, I left my bathroom and went into my bedroom. Dressing, I thought. Until I took the test, I wouldn't be able to think about anything else. So, it was logical to take the test and _then _go get skips, once I could focus. Of course, if I found out I was pregnant, then I _definitely _wouldn't be able to focus. But, since I'd already decided I wasn't pregnant, I should take the test. There was a fifty-fifty chance that the pregnancy test would be negative. So, there was a fifty-fifty chance I could regain my focus if I took the test, while I wouldn't be able to focus at all if I didn't take it.

So, having decided that it was totally logical to take the test, I gave Rex a grape and went to the drugstore. I pulled on a hooded sweatshirt and put on the hood, then went in, hoping no one would recognize me. I found the pregnancy tests and, just to be safe, bought three different brands, escaping the store as quickly as possible and driving to Mary Lou's house.

I knocked on the door and, as Mary Lou opened the door, was hit with the sound of screaming children. I winced.

Mary Lou noticed. She just smiled. "The kids can't decide what to watch." I looked past her. Sure enough, her three kids were fighting over the remote.

I looked around. "Can I come in?" She must have noticed my tone, because she nodded. I stepped in and, once the door was closed, said quietly. "I think I might be pregnant."

Her eyes widened. "With who? Do you have a test? Did you take a test yet?"

"Ranger. I brought some tests with me. Can I take them here?" She nodded.

"You're pregnant with Ranger's baby?" She sounded stunned.

I shook my head. "I'm not pregnant. But I need to take tests to make sure." Before she could respond, I closed myself in the bathroom and, after reading all the instructions, quickly took the three tests.

I waited the necessary five minutes (A/N: I don't know what I'm talking about. All my knowledge of pregnancy tests comes from those commercials where it's like 'Directions: 22 clear, This pregnancy test: 100 clear' or whatever, so…yeah. If it's more or less than 5 min, sorry, just ignore it) and then looked at the tests. All three said the same thing. I stared.

I was pregnant. How could this happen? We'd used a condom. And it had only been one night. I'd had sex with Morelli a bunch of times and never gotten pregnant. One night with Ranger and I got pregnant. I stared at the tests some more.

Mary Lou knocked on the door. "Stephanie? What do the tests say?"

I opened the door and looked at her. I think she knew before I said anything, because it definitely must have shown on my face. "I'm pregnant." As soon as I said it out loud, I was filled with mixed feelings. Fear at the thought of raising a child, dismay as I thought of telling Ranger, confusion as to what to do about my job and, surprisingly, joy at the thought of being a mother.

"What are you going to do? Did you tell Ranger about your suspicions? Are you two together? Are you and Morelli broken up for real? What about your job?"

As I thought through and answered the questions, I paced. "I don't know what I'll do. I didn't tell Ranger, because he just left abruptly. We aren't together. He doesn't do relationships. Morelli and I won't get back together. And I don't know about my job. Definitely I'll have to stop at some point. But then I'll need to start again because I can't raise a baby with no income."

"So marry Ranger." As I started to protest, she held up a hand. "Just tell him about the baby and, if he has any decency at all, he'll marry you."

"I can't trap Ranger in a marriage he doesn't want!" Not to mention, he has a daughter and isn't married to the mother, so it might not work anyway.

"Fine. Are you going to tell your mom?"

Crap. I hadn't thought of my mom's reaction. The moment I told her, she'd no doubt be lecturing me that I needed to marry Morelli. I groaned. "I'll need to eventually. I can't just show up for dinner one night and be seven months pregnant." As I thought about it, I grimaced. I didn't want to be pregnant. Since I saw Lisa (A/N: That's Val's newest baby, btw, for those who don't know. Such as me, up until this morning, when I remembered it by re-reading 9), I've been wanting a baby a lot of the time. I didn't though, want to go through the whole pregnancy thing. And definitely not alone.

Now I was getting all teary, and I needed some good junky food, so I thanked Mary Lou and left before she could ask any more questions that needed answers. After a quick stop to pick up the essentials, I went into my apartment and sat down on the couch. By the time I'd eaten a carton of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, I was feeling a lot better. So much better, in fact, that I, knowing that this probably wasn't the best food for the baby, didn't even eat the donut I'd gotten. Was I a great mother, or what?

Though I hated to waste food, I knew that I wouldn't resist temptation long. If I was going to eat healthy so the baby wouldn't come out with five chins and clogged arteries, I needed to get rid of all the junk in my house now. 15 minutes later, all my good food was in the trash and pretty much all that was left were some grapes, a few carrots, and some cereal. I suppose the cereal, because it was about 90 sugar, should go in the trash too, but I needed something to eat tomorrow.

Since Rex wasn't pregnant (wow…that's a disturbing thought), I gave him a piece of the donut before I threw it in the trash. Then I went into my room.

I froze. On my pillow, there was a picture. I snuck closer to it and looked at it. After the thing with the Web Master, I recognized a gunshot victim a lot faster than I did before. On the back was a handwritten note: _You're next._

I crumpled up the picture and dropped it on my floor and then used my foot to push it under the bed. Not the best way to get rid of it, but it worked. Then I thought. I couldn't call Morelli, because he'd probably freak out and do something annoying. I couldn't call Ranger because he might do the same, plus I wanted to avoid him until I'd figured out what to do about the baby.

I went back into my kitchen and looked in the trashcan. I'd left the donut in the bag, so it was clean and trash-less. I pulled it out and took a big bite, rationalizing my decision. I'd already eaten a tub of ice cream, surely a donut wouldn't make much of a difference for my baby. And surely all the panic and stress wasn't good for the baby either, so the donut was a good thing. I finished the donut and then left my apartment, headed for the office. Licking glazed donut sugar goo off my fingers, I silently promised the baby that I'd be a better mom for the rest of the pregnancy.

A/N: I'm not sure when I'll update next. Probably I won't be as good as I normally am about updating every day, but I don't really know. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Please review.


	2. Scumbag

Disclaimer: I still own nothing. Actually, I own the bad guy and Stephanie and Ranger's unborn child. But that's it.

melianarana, my novel doesn't have a name yet. It has a plot, but I'm not that far in writing it yet (because I just realized it sucked, so I started it completely over.), and I haven't thought of any good titles.

Chapter 2

I walked into the office and looked over at Lula and Connie. I wasn't sure if I should tell them about the baby yet. If they found out through the grapevine, they'd be hurt. And it was possible that someone had recognized me at the drug store. However, I didn't want them to tell anyone else, which was a huge risk if they found out about the pregnancy.

I walked in and looked at Connie. "Hi. Do I have any skips?" I'd decided to just casually mention that I was pregnant. Maybe they wouldn't notice. Then, later, when they found out from someone else, once the news had been found out, I could say that I _had_ told them. This way, though, they wouldn't be able to tell anyone because they wouldn't have actually heard me. Connie passed me a few folders. I flipped through them, speaking idly as I did. "I think I can get this one easily. And Mooner will be really easy. By the way, I'm pregnant. Maybe this one should go to Ranger, because I don't think I can get him. And this one I can probably get, but it might be hard." I dropped the one that I'd said should go to Ranger on Connie's desk and risked a glance at both of them. Clearly, my plan hadn't worked, because both of them were staring at me.

Lula recovered first. "What! Did you just say you're pregnant?"

"Uh…Yeah. But you can't tell anyone."

Connie reached over and snatched the folders I'd kept from me. Or rather, tried to, but I had a death grip on them. We glared at each other. "You can't go chasing skips if you're pregnant!"

I managed to wrench the folders away, then I clutched them to me. "Sure I can. It's not like I'm going to pop out the baby today."

Lula interrupted what Connie was about to say. "Whose is it? Supercop or Batman? Or is there someone else?"

I looked at Vinnie's door, then at the front door. "It's Ranger's. But you guys can't tell him. He doesn't know and I don't plan on telling him."

Lula and Connie went back to the silent-staring thing.

Lula broke the silence. "Do you have a death wish? You're not planning on telling Batman about his own kid?"

"Uh…no. Not really." I paused a moment, then explained everything. I told them about the debt, and Ranger leaving abruptly afterwards, and then about sleeping with him after the distraction and him leaving just as abruptly.

There was silence for a while. This time, it was Connie who spoke first. "But he'd change for the kid, right? If you tell him, he'd do something about it, probably."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, like lock me in a safe house." I shook my head. "He doesn't do relationships."

"He said that?" Lula and Connie spoke simultaneously. Quite impressive coordination.

"The words he used were that his life 'doesn't lend itself to relationships,' but yeah."

Lula looked behind me and spoke in an angry tone. "Scumbag."

I looked behind me and saw Ranger coming into the office. I was pretty sure he hadn't heard Lula's not-so-complimentary description of him. I was hoping he hadn't, anyway.

Clearly, Lula didn't share my hope, because, glaring at Ranger, she repeated, loud enough to make sure that he heard, "Scumbag." Then she stood, swinging her purse, which surely contained a gun, onto her shoulder. "Let's go get a skip. I've got to help you on account of—" I glared at her and she amended what I was quite sure she'd been about to say "you don't even have a gun. Besides, I know you'll need some help. Who're we getting?"

I looked at the folder and grinned. "Mooner."

"Babe." I looked up. Ranger was about six inches away. I edged around him. Lula was already at the door, still giving Ranger the death stare. As I fled to Lula's car, I glanced back and saw Connie give some folders to Ranger. However, she didn't hand them to him, instead she threw them at his chest and they all fell to the ground. Ranger raised an eyebrow, looked down at the folders, and their contents, which were spread over the floor, and then looked at me with a confused expression.

That was when I got into Lula's car, so that I wouldn't stare as he bent over to get the papers. Ok, so I did look, but only a little bit. It would be a sin not to look, right?

As Lula pulled away from the curb, I caught her looking in the rearview mirror, at Ranger no doubt. "He may be a scumbag, but that man is hot!"

"I don't think he's a scumbag, he just doesn't do relationships." I'm not sure why I was defending Ranger, since I was sort of mad at him, myself.

"Hunh." Lula turned her attention back to driving. Soon we pulled in front of Mooner's house. I rang the doorbell and Mooner came out. To my surprise, he came right away. Probably a show just finished.

An hour later, I was outside my second skip's house, $500 richer than I'd been this morning. I rang the doorbell and my skip, Tyler Wilson, opened the door.

"Hi. I work for your bail bond company and you missed you're hearing. I need to bring you to the station and—" I stopped there because he'd slammed the door and was, if my hearing was correct, running through the house, and I didn't feel like talking to the door. I opened the door and ran after him. Because of the head start, he got through the house before I even had a chance at catching him.

He ran out into the backyard and I ran after him. The yard had clearly been watered way too much, because it was pure mud, with a few blades of grass sprouting up here and there. Slipping, while trying to run as fast as I could, I finally got pretty close to Tyler. I leapt and tackled him, wrapping my arms around his chest from behind as we went down. We hit the mud, with him facedown in it, and then he rolled over, squashing me under him in the mud. He tried to get up, but I held on. Lula, who'd run through the house with me, told me to let go. I did and he scrambled up, only to be stun-gunned by Lula immediately. He fell back on me.

I rolled him off me and cuffed him, then stood. I was covered in mud, as was he, but, somehow, other than her feet, Lula was spotless. I gave her an annoyed look, then pulled Tyler up.

To my surprise, Lula looked concerned. "Was that tackle a good idea? What about when he fell on you? Is the baby ok?"

"How should I know? I've never been pregnant before. Probably, we're fine." Lula nodded and helped me drag Tyler to the front curb. I went into Tyler's house and hunted around a bit and then found a sheet. Normally, I'd just get the cops to come get a dirty skip that Lula didn't want in her car, but today, I felt like dropping him off at the station myself. I brought the sheet out and wrapped it around Tyler so that no mud would touch the car, then put him in the backseat.

I was trying to figure out how _I_ could get in without leaving mud, when Lula pulled a towel out from under her driver's seat and handed it to me. As I sat down on it, I gave her a curious look. She explained. "You and your skips always get covered in crap. It seems like having something to keep my car clean is a good plan."

I hated how incredibly logical that was. I shouldn't get dirty so often that someone starts carrying towels in their car so that I can sit in the car.

About halfway to the police station, Tyler woke up and tried to move around. However, his hands were cuffed behind his back, and he was wrapped very tightly in a sheet, so all he could do was squirm around a little bit. He gave up by the time we got to the police station.

I started to get out, then I stopped and looked at Lula. "Will you still be here when I get out?"

"Of course! When have I ever left you stranded somewhere?" I looked at her with a 'are you kidding me?' expression. She shrugged. "Ok, ok. So I've left you here a few times. But you were never stranded! You always had someone else to drive you somewhere."

I rolled my eyes and got out, then I got out Tyler. He was still wrapped in the sheet, so he just stood there, legs locked together. I unwrapped him and then grabbed his arm, bringing him and the sheet into the station.

A few people commented on my muddy status, but I just glared at them and then went back to ignoring them. I snatched my body receipt and left. Probably Lula was gone. I didn't know what I'd do then. As I exited the side door, I was surprised to see that Lula _was_ still here. That's a first! Just as I took a step towards her, however, movement out of the corner of my eye made me stop and turn.

Ranger had, apparently, been waiting for me, because now he pushed away from the wall. "What was all that about back at the office?"

Since I had no intention of telling him, I gave him an innocent look and resumed my walk towards Lula's car. "What?"

"The sudden hatred you all seem to have for me. What caused it?"

I glared at him. "Nothing." It was true, really. After all, that's what our relationship was to him; nothing. And probably, if I told him about the baby, he wouldn't care. Ok, to be fair, that's probably not true, but I was getting angry again as I thought about how abruptly he always leaves.

"Right. Nothing is what had me sorting through papers in the office for an hour so I had all the information for each skip in the right folder after Connie threw the folders at me."

I looked over at him, surprised, but didn't respond. I'd reached Lula's car. I reached out to open the door and then Ranger stepped around me, leaning against the car door, effectively blocking my get-away.

"Really, Babe. What's wrong?"

I looked away. I suppose I knew that _eventually_, I'd have to tell Ranger about the baby. Or at the very least, I'd have to tell him I was pregnant, even if I didn't say who the father was. However, I hadn't planned on telling him now, in the middle of the Trenton PD parking lot.

"Babe?" I looked back at him. He actually looked concerned. "What happened since the last time I saw you?"

I _really_ didn't want to tell him now or here. "Nothing. Ranger, move. I want to leave."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Not until I know what's going on."

As I tried to think of something to say that would make him leave, a very familiar male voice spoke from behind me. "Is there a problem?"

I spun and, when I saw the speaker, gasped.

A/N: Mauhaha! Evil cliffy! And Ally, as you no doubt noticed, there was a definite lack of mini-vans in this. I couldn't figure out how to fit it in without it being totally abrupt and idiotic looking. So, I'll try to put it in later. Sorry. Anyway, everyone, please review!


	3. Mini Macho Showdown

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the bad guy and Stephanie and Ranger's unborn child.

Thanks everyone for the great reviews :) And Mufassa, I can't think of any way to describe my novel without it sounding moronic. And personally, I don't feel that it's moronic (at least, I hope not). Anyway, I'll just attempt it, but if the description sounds horrible, I'm sorry. It's about this person who is an agent in this secret government agency thing and she gets partnered with an FBI agent for a case. And then stuff happens…as I've said many times, I suck at summaries.

Chapter 3

I stared at Diesel, a huge smile spreading across my face. "What are you doing here? It's not Christmas, last time I checked."

He smiled back. "Just checking on my favorite bounty hunter, Sunshine. And I can do more things than just get people Christmas trees. I'm a multi-talented man." He looked to Ranger and his expression lost some of the happiness. "As I asked, is there a problem?"

I moved so I could see both of them easily and then looked at Ranger. He was looking at Diesel with a mixture of annoyance and wariness. Plus a little bit of that expression only produced by testosterone: masculine challenge. When I looked at Diesel, I saw the exact same thing reflected, except that there was a bit of protectiveness in the mix as well.

They did the 'silent male staredown' thing for a bit, then Ranger spoke. "I'm just talking to Stephanie. Who are you?"

Diesel crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "Seeing as how you're the one threatening Stephanie, shouldn't you answer that first?"

I barely had time to ponder that logic before Ranger spoke, with true anger in his voice. "I'm not threatening her. I wouldn't do that."

I knew it was true. Sort of. Ranger wouldn't hurt me, but there were all kinds of threats. Not letting me leave until I talked to him was a threat, I suppose. I noticed that Diesel and Ranger were both looking at me. "What?" As I noticed both of their expectant expressions, I figured it out. "Oh. No, Ranger wouldn't hurt me, or threaten to do so."

(A/N: btw, I don't actually remember if Stephanie ever mentioned Ranger, but I'm going to assume that she didn't, because I don't remember any mention of him to Diesel. I also don't remember who met Diesel. So if people get introduced to him who would already know him or people already know him who shouldn't, sorry.) Ranger turned to Diesel. "There you go. Now, who are you?"

Diesel smiled. "Since I have no intention of being your friend, I don't see any reason to exchange personal information. Are you going to move away from the door now, or will I have to move you?"

Ranger raised an eyebrow, looking Diesel up and down. Clearly, he didn't think Diesel could make him do anything. I, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. Diesel, after all, was some kind of alien/spirit of Christmas, thing. Who knows what he's capable of?

Diesel laughed and Ranger looked at me like I was insane. Apparently, I'd said that out loud. I don't know what made him move, definitely not the threat from Diesel, but Ranger stepped away from my door.

As I reached out and grabbed the handle, he put a hand on my arm. "We'll continue this later, Babe. I want to know what's going on."

I rolled my eyes and got in. To my surprise, Diesel slid into the backseat. Lula looked at Diesel. "Who's he?"

"Lula, this is Diesel. Diesel, this is Lula."

Lula looked at Diesel as she started the car, but then turned her attention back to me. "So what was that with Batman?"

I could see Diesel smile in the rearview mirror, but I ignored it. "He wanted to know the source of everyone's bad mood."

"Did you tell him?"

I looked over at her. "Based on the fact that he calmly left, what do you think?"

"Hunh." Lula returned her attention to driving. That seemed to be her reaction of the day.

She parked in front of the office and we all got out. Because I wanted to talk to Diesel and find out why he was here, I went to my car. As expected, he followed. We got in and I drove towards my apartment, talking to him as I drove.

"So, why are you really here? Is it really just to check up on me?"

Diesel shrugged. "Pretty much. Plus, I know about the baby."

I looked over at him. "So? You're going to help me raise it, or what?"

He looked horrified by the prospect. "No!" I'm pretty sure he actually shuddered. "I'm going to keep you safe until you figure out what to do about it. What's up with you and that cop?"

"We broke up."

"So the baby isn't his?" I shook my head and he continued. "You're sure? How long between when you slept with him and when you slept with the baby's father?"

"About a month. We were in the off-again stage for about three weeks before we called it quits for real." I looked over at him as he started to ask another question. "And I'm really not comfortable talking about all this with you."

"Who's the dad?"

I glared at him. So much for my not-so-subtle hint to drop the subject. "Ranger."

He looked surprised. Then his eyes narrowed. "The guy who was threatening you? That's whose kid you're having?" When he next spoke, his voice was heavy with sarcasm. "Excellent judge of character, Sunshine."

I glared at him. "I already told you, Ranger didn't threaten me." I parked the car in a spot near my apartment building. "And he is an excellent man." In more ways than one. One of those ways, however, I was definitely not talking to Diesel about. We walked into the building and got on the elevator. I wasn't sure why I was defending Ranger to Diesel. Clearly, there was no love lost between the two. Maybe I was defending myself, and my choice in men. "He doesn't always stick to the law, but he has a strong moral code and he doesn't break that. And he's always there for me when I need him." The elevator dinged and we stepped out into the hallway. I walked ahead of Diesel by a few steps, putting my key into the lock and going into my apartment. "Plus, this whole thing all started because we had sex. And, although you may not have noticed, Ranger is very, very sexy. So it's not even like I made a bad choice in that department."

Diesel cut into my monologue at this point. "The fact that you're in love with him doesn't hurt, either."

Automatically, I started to deny it. "I don't love—" I stopped. Holy crap! Diesel was right! I _was_ in love with Ranger. I looked at Diesel, who was looking at me with a 'you were saying?' expression. "Ok, so I _do_ love him. But it doesn't matter, because he just wants sex." I realized what I was saying. Why was I telling all this to Diesel? I didn't even know him all that well. And I'd only told my close friends all the complexities of the me-Ranger relationship (or lack thereof) today. So why was I spilling it all to someone I'd only really seen once before? I decided to blame the pregnancy hormones.

Diesel grinned. "Blame whatever you want. What are you going to do about it?"

I shrugged. "Nothing I can do, really." I went into the kitchen and started to open the fridge, then stopped as I remembered that I'd thrown out anything that tasted remotely like real food. To be truthful, I'd kept a carton of ice cream. Ok, so I wasn't perfect. Sue me. I opened the freezer to get out the ice cream.

Then I let out a little yelping sound and slammed the freezer shut. Diesel was there instantly. He opened the freezer and grimaced. There was a severed head and, propped against it, a note that said, "I took away the ice cream. You shouldn't eat junk food. It isn't good for the baby."

I hadn't read the note, because I'd seen the severed head and slammed the door shut before I could register the note. Diesel, however, took the note out of the freezer before closing the freezer door and gave it to me.

As I read it, my hand went automatically to my stomach. It was partly due to my sudden urge to throw up, and partially that instinctive mom-thing that pregnant women do to shield their babies from the world.

I crumpled the paper and put it in the trash, then looked at Diesel. "What should I do?"

Diesel looked at me like I was stupid. "Calling the police would be a good idea."

I shook my head. "Then Morelli will come. I don't really want to talk to him. Not now that I know I'm pregnant with Ranger's baby. Plus, then Ranger will find out about my stalker. And I don't want to talk to him either."

Diesel was still looking at me with the 'she's an idiot' expression, though now it had some 'she's crazy' mixed in as well. "So you plan on just leaving a severed head in your freezer? And what's this about a stalker? There have been more notes?"

I shook my head. "Just one other note." I looked towards my freezer. "I guess I do need to call the police."

After I said it, I did it, then I waited for a few minutes until the police got to my apartment. As I'd expected, Morelli walked in with the other cops. Once I'd pointed them towards the head, Morelli spoke to me.

"There wasn't a note?"

I glanced away, trying to figure out a good evasive answer that would get me off the hook. "There's one under the bed." At his completely bewildered expression, I explained. "Earlier today, there was one on my pillow, but I crumpled it up and put it under the bed."

Morelli shook his head, then went and told one of the other cops something. Presumably that there was a note under the bed. A minute or so later, said cop came back, holding an evidence bag with the note in it. He looked at me. "You really need to clean under that bed."

I just smiled, then focused on Morelli as he spoke. "So there wasn't a note with the head?"

Diesel jumped in at this point, saving me. "So if you guys broke up, why are you even here?" Ok…so he _sort of_ saved me. Morelli shot me a glance, then looked at Diesel, trying to place him.

I saw when he remembered him. "You're that guy from Christmas. Why are _you_ here?"

Diesel shrugged. "Just checking on Stephanie. You didn't answer my question."

Morelli smiled and shrugged. "Just checking on Stephanie." He said it in exactly the same tone as Diesel.

Diesel laughed, then looked over at me, shaking his head. "_Horrible_ judgment of character." This was clearly a reference to my choice of Ranger over Joe. I just glared at him, but otherwise ignored him.

Morelli looked between us. "What? Did I miss something?"

"Nothing." I pointed to the door, through which everyone was leaving, bringing the head with them. "Everyone's leaving. Shouldn't you?"

Morelli raised an eyebrow, but he could take a hint. "Fine. Bye, Cupcake." He kissed me on the forehead, and then he was gone.

Diesel and I spent the rest of the day watching random TV, as well as a few movies.

Finally, I got up, exhausted. "I'm going to bed. You can sleep on the couch if you're planning on staying here." Diesel nodded, and I went into my bedroom.

I got ready for bed and then lay down and was asleep almost immediately.

I was awakened a few hours later by the sound of a loud, and clearly angry, voice, which I recognized as Ranger's. "What the hell are you doing here?"


	4. Macho Crap

Disclaimer: I own the bad guy, and Stephanie and Ranger's baby, but no one else.

Ok, firstly, I have to say, I'm sorry I didn't update over the weekend. I needed to speak with my 'consultant' and now that I have (Danke, Ally ;)) I have resolved my issues with this chapter. Now, I shall post.

Chapter 4

I jumped out of bed and went into my living room. I'd expected to see Diesel and Ranger there, but they weren't there. I could see, however, a light in the kitchen. I walked in and saw Ranger returning his gun to the small of his back. Diesel, who, I'll add, was wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, was standing in the kitchen with a glass of water in his hand, looking at Ranger with a bit of surprise.

Setting the glass on the counter, Diesel crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow, glaring at Ranger. "I could ask the same of you."

I cleared my throat and they both turned to me, but only for a second, because then Ranger returned his attention to Diesel. To my surprise, he went into possessive-male mode. "Why are you here? Are you and Stephanie living together?" If I'd been surprised at his attitude, it was nothing compared to the surprise I felt as he now rolled his eyes. "Dumb question. Obviously, you're living together. How long have you been living here?" His tone was a mixture between protective father interviewing the prom date (who he doesn't approve of), and possessive man sizing up the competition.

"I really don't see how any of this matters to you. Seeing as how I was invited here, while you broke in, it seems strange that _I'm_ the one being interrogated." Now he walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my waist. I flinched and then stared up at him in confusion. "The dynamics of our relationship have nothing to do with you, last time I checked. So why don't you just leave?"

Ranger looked at Diesel's arm around me and I could swear I saw pain in his eyes. However, it was gone the second it appeared, so I was probably wrong. He gave Diesel a dismissive look, then turned his attention to me. "I just wanted to make sure you were ok. After the head thing."

Annoyed with all the macho crap, and not in the mood to try to figure out what Ranger was thinking and feeling that inspired his actions and words, I glared at him. "Since when did you care? Just leave."

"Babe?" Now, his face was totally blank.

"Get out of my apartment. I'm tired, and I don't feel like dealing with you right now."

This time, there was no mistaking the hurt in his expression. It was gone right away, like it had been before, but I knew I'd seen it. He nodded. "Alright. Goodnight, Babe." He said it perfectly casually, then walked out.

Once he was gone, Diesel dropped his arm from around my waist. "Well, that was fun."

I glared at him. "Yeah, what was with the whole 'dynamics of our relationship' thing?"

Diesel shrugged and walked back to where his water was. "I just wanted to see how he viewed _his_ relationship with you." He took a sip. "And, of course, I was right."

I looked at him expectantly and, when he said nothing, I threw my hands up and started to leave the kitchen. "I don't feel like dealing with you either."

I heard him let out a sigh. "That was a really harsh way to deal with the man who is in love with you, by the way."

I froze. Then I turned. "What are you talking about? Ranger's not in love with me."

Diesel rolled his eyes. "Hopeless. I don't even see how you got to the sex stage of the relationship, what with you two dancing around your feelings like this." Despite the fact that I was uncomfortable talking about sex with Diesel, my mind instantly flew to the night when my baby was conceived. I felt a small smile come onto my face before I could stop it. Diesel looked at me and smirked. "Fine, I guess I was wrong. Clearly, the sex isn't what you guys are having trouble with."

I glared at him, knowing that I was blushing. His expression grew serious. "Really, though, you two need to talk. I have been around him for about five minutes total, and I already know you two are in love. If you two haven't been able to figure it out after however long it's been, you guys are pathetic. You should call him back and tell him you love him and about the baby and then you two can get all mushy and lovey dovey and I'll leave for a while."

The idea of Ranger getting 'all mushy and lovey dovey' made me laugh. "Ranger doesn't do mushy. Or lovey dovey. Ranger doesn't do emotion in general."

Diesel just shrugged. "Fine. Call him over and tell him all the stuff and then _you_ can get all mushy, and he can sit there being impassive. Whatever floats your boat. And also tell him about your stalker. Just do it."

Before I could formulate a response, he walked out. I sighed. I considered going and talking to him some more, but what I'd told Ranger was true: I _was_ tired. I yawned, turned off the kitchen light and headed to my bed. I'd deal with life in the morning.


	5. Telling Ranger

Disclaimer: I refuse to write this. Check chapter 4. Which precedes chapter 5, which, coincidentally, is this chapter (see, Ally? I can count! Btw, I checked, and it turns out Sancia is wrong and I'm right. It _was_ a u, not an a, and the book isn't out yet. Who knows what she's raving about? meh.)

btw, am I the only one who thinks VOSP sounds like some kind of awesome secret agent force thing? When I grow up, I want to be a VOSP agent….yes…I'm a loser. I'll shut up and write now.

Chapter 5

I was awakened the next morning by a quite, melodic sound outside of my room. I recognized it as the Batman theme song and knew that Ranger was calling my cell phone. I rolled out of bed and was halfway to my bedroom door when the sound stopped and I heard Diesel's voice.

"Yes, Batman?" There was silence for a moment and then, in a tone that was a lot more annoyed than it had been seconds ago. "I answered because I _live_ here. But, since you asked so nicely, yes I'll go give the phone to Stephanie. I'm not sure she's awake yet, though." This second sentence was said very sarcastically. I'd started moving again after the pause, so I opened the door just as Diesel raised his hand to knock, the result being that he nearly knocked on my face. I ducked to the side. He looked surprised for a moment, then took my phone away from his face, handing it to me. "It's Lover boy. Either he isn't in a good mood this morning, or he doesn't like me, for some reason. I don't think he has a very good sense of humor." He gave me a grin at the same time as he gave me the phone.

I rolled my eyes and put the phone to my ear. "Ranger?" It didn't take a genius to figure out who "Lover boy" was.

"Babe." Ranger was silent for a moment and then, in a voice tinged with a bit of resentment, he said. "I _really_ don't like that guy." For a moment, he sounded like a whiny little kid, and I almost laughed. But then he spoke again and sounded much more business like than he had before. "Can you do a distraction tonight?"

I started to say yes, then I remembered the baby. "Um…is it in a bar?"

I knew it was a dumb question even before he answered. "Yes." He sounded slightly confused.

I knew that, if I said yes, I'd have to drink alcohol to blend in. And, though my baby knowledge wasn't much, I did know that drinking while pregnant wasn't allowed. "No, then. Sorry."

Ranger was silent for a few seconds and I knew he was wondering why the bar mattered. I had decided while I was lying in bed last night that I needed to tell him about the baby. And that I loved him. Not necessarily at the same time. And definitely not over the phone. "Ranger, I need to talk to you, will you be at the office in an hour?"

"You can't talk to me over the phone?" He was sounding more and more confused each time I said something.

"No. I can't. This is really important."

"Sure. I'll see you then." Then he hung up. It wasn't quite goodbye, but, for him, it was rather impressive.

Having established the time I'd meet Ranger, I went into a getting-ready-frenzy. I threw up twice (stupid morning sickness...grr), got dressed, did the hair and makeup thing, and then got into the car.

Diesel walked out to the car with me. "So you're going to tell him about the baby and that you love him and all that gooey stuff?"

I smiled. "Yeah. That's the plan."

He smiled at me as we got into the car. Once the doors had closed and we were both in, he spoke as I started the car. "That's good. Sort of public though, isn't it?"

I bit my lip, thinking about it as I drove. Then I shrugged. "I guess. Maybe I'll think of somewhere better we can go by the time I get there. I just need a neutral meeting place, though."

Diesel didn't respond, and the rest of the ride was made in silence. As I drove, I thought. What would Ranger do? Would he be angry? Happy? Annoyed? Would I even be able to know what he was thinking? Would he react at all? As soon as I told Ranger, everyone would find out somehow. Probably, Lula and Connie would tell people, since I'd told them to make sure Ranger didn't know. If I told him, technically, they would be allowed to tell people, I guess. How would my mother react? And the rest of my family?

At this point, I pulled up in front of the bond office and parked. I took a deep breath and looked inside the bond office. Ranger was sitting on the couch, and Lula and Connie were both glaring at him. As I parked, he looked up and saw me, getting off the couch. I took another deep breath and then got out of the car. Ranger walked out of the office and stopped two feet in front of me.

"Babe?" He raised an eyebrow, obviously waiting for me to say something.

"Um…" I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and turned to watch Diesel come around the car. He gave me an encouraging smile, then went into the office, flopping down on the couch and watching me and Ranger. I returned my attention to Ranger. "Can you think of anywhere private we can go? I need to tell you some—" I cut myself off with a cry of pain. Burning pain slashed across my stomach, followed quickly by pain in my forearm. I looked down and saw blood welling up in a shallow slash across my lower midsection, as well as that slash continuing across my forearm, which had been at my side. Black spots danced before my eyes as I heard the sound of a bullet hitting the sidewalk. Someone had just shot me. Luckily, they'd pretty much missed.

Ranger was at my side instantly and, as I swayed slightly, he wrapped an arm around me. Connie, Lula, and Diesel had all leapt to their feet and were rushing for the door. Ranger looked up at them. "Stephanie has been shot. I'm going to bring her to the hospital. Call the police so they can come check ballistics." He pointed in the direction the bullet had gone. "The bullet is somewhere over there. Also, call the hospital and tell them we're coming."

Then he swung me up into his arms and walked towards his truck. I was pretty sure I didn't need to be carried. I was fine, after all. However, even as I thought this, I felt darkness closing in.

Though I was on the brink of unconsciousness, I heard Ranger's voice. "Stephanie, you're about to black out I think." Thank you, captain obvious. I guess I said this out loud, because, just as I slipped away, I heard him chuckle.

I came back alive a bit later, as Ranger was lifting me out of his truck. I struggled a bit. "I can walk."

Very carefully, he set me down. He stuck very close to my side as we walked to the emergency entrance, wrapping a supportive arm around my shoulders.

He kept giving me little worried glances until we reached the check-in desk. There was a gurney already ready for me. I was pretty sure I didn't need it, but I got on anyway. The doctor turned in such a way that he could be addressing me or Ranger. "Any medical conditions that we should know about? Allergic to any pain killers?"

Ranger started to shake his head, but I put out a hand. "Yes." This was definitely not how I'd planned on telling Ranger. I kept my eyes locked on the doctor, though I was speaking to Ranger as much as I was to him. "I'm pregnant."

A/N: Ok, everyone, please review! Oh, and Ally, two things. Firstly, did we have some kind of discussion about a white car with orange wheels, or was that some weird dream I had? Secondly, what is the math hw?


	6. Diesel explains, sort of

Disclaimer: See chapter 5. It'll tell you to see chapter 4, though, so I guess just skip five and go to four.

Ok folks, little explanation of my VOSP raving last chapter: VOSP is Visions of Sugar Plums, as I wrote in the first chapter, and I just randomly decided that it sounds like some sort of secret agency thing. (Ally: speaking of which, I was trying to say "forum" earlier, and it took like seven tries, cause I kept saying "Quorum" since I use that word way more often…I'm a loser) So, that's not a very good explanation, but whatev. Tiny insight into the mind that is me. Strange, no?

In this chapter, the POV will change. There's a bit of Ranger POV in it, but then I'm going back to Stephanie. So…yeah.

Chapter 6

Ranger's POV

I stood there, completely frozen, staring after Stephanie as the gurney was wheeled away. She hadn't looked at me since dropping the pregnancy bombshell on me. As she and the doctor's disappeared from sight, talking, I think, about said pregnancy, all I was hearing was Stephanie's voice repeating over and over. "I'm pregnant."

I shook myself out of it and turned, walking towards the door. I definitely needed to think. And tell Morelli to go be with his baby's mother. As soon as I thought it, I changed my mind. Stephanie wouldn't have slept with me if she'd been sleeping with Morelli. However, I supposed she could have gone back to him. It had been about two months since I'd slept with her. On the other hand, I'd probably know if they'd gotten back together. After all, they were like a soap opera: most of Trenton was watching their relationship with avid interest. I'd gone into a bar a few months ago and heard two people discussing the fact that they'd just broken up the same way people would discuss characters in a sitcom.

So, if Morelli wasn't the father who was? I knew right away. That blonde guy, Diesel, if Stephanie's accidental comment earlier was accurate (although, considering the bulk of the comment had to do with Diesel being an alien, I'm not so sure it was). It was the only explanation. It explained why they were living together, and why he was overly protective of her, and why he'd felt threatened by me talking to her. It didn't explain, however, why Lula, Connie, and Stephanie were mad at me. It was possible that that was totally unrelated.

I had no more time to think about it, though, because two of the three musketeers (Connie and Lula), along with Diesel, came through the doors just as I reached them. I gave Diesel a look of disgust, and then pushed past him, going out the doors.

I heard Lula. "What's with him?"

There was silence for a second, and then Diesel spoke. "Crap. I think I know. Or rather, I think _he_ knows."

In seconds, he'd jogged up to my side. I gave him a sideways glance. "Shouldn't you be with the mother of your child? She just got shot, after all. I'm sure she'd like you to be with her."

Diesel looked confused for a second, then he stopped in his tracks. "Woah, Batman." Just so I could tell him to stop calling me that, I stopped and turned to him, glaring. Before I had a chance, though, he continued speaking. "Stop, go back, and try again. I'm not the father. Now, you two need to talk to each other. The first thing I suggest you do is go in there and tell her you love her. Then, you can totally shock her by getting all lovey dovey, which she won't expect at all."

I stared at him. "What are you talking about? What makes you think I love Stephanie?"

Diesel rolled his eyes. Not up to Stephanie standards, but close. "The fact that I have eyes." I opened my mouth to speak again and he cut me off. "No. I don't want to talk to you. I don't particularly like you, and I think the feeling is returned. Stephanie, however, _would_ like to talk to you, I'm sure. So, go in and talk to her, instead of me." I glared at him. This guy was really annoying. However, because I knew Stephanie and I needed to talk, I did as I said.

Turning back the way I'd come, I walked to the hospital. It was true that I was in love with Stephanie. I had been since he'd called me when I was accused of murder and had just asked if I was ok, instead of suggesting I turn myself in. Well, that's when I realized it. I don't know when I actually fell in love with her. There were a lot of events leading up to it. And I'd done lots of stupid things since then. In fact, I didn't think I was ready to talk to her, yet. I needed to figure out what I was going to say.

I turned part way and saw Diesel standing beside me. I stopped, and so did he. He gave me a knowing grin. "I knew you'd chicken out. So I'm going to babysit you until you get to her room and I hand you over to her."

I glared at him. "I wasn't chickening out." I turned the way I'd been going and continued towards Stephanie's room, hearing Diesel chuckle behind me.

Stephanie's POV

I'd gotten stitches very quickly and was already sitting alone in the room, totally painless, thanks to the pain meds, and wondering where Ranger was. Of course, after saying that I was pregnant, I wasn't exactly surprised that he'd left. It wasn't the best way to tell him. But I hoped he'd come back. Was he angry? Scared off by the prospect of a relationship and commitment? I didn't know.

I was just about to call in a nurse and ask them if they knew where he was when someone knocked on my door. The possibility of it being Ranger made me instantly answer. "Come in."

It was Joe. I tried not to be disappointed. He walked over to me and looked down at me, completely serious. "Hi, Cupcake." He took a deep breath, then started speaking. "Look, I know we broke up, but we should try again. Maybe we won't be this incredible loving couple, but we need to try to work it out, for the baby's sake. I think we should get married."

Blame it on getting shot, the pain meds, or me just being slow on the uptake, but I was completely confused. "What? I don't understand. Why would you want to raise Ranger's baby?"

He froze and then looked shocked, angry, and hurt, all at once. "_Ranger's_ baby? It isn't mine?" Ah…that explained a lot. "When did you two sleep together? Were you sleeping together while we were together? Is that why you broke up? So you could go be with him? All that 'I don't love you in the right way' crap was fake, wasn't it? You just wanted to go be bed mates with Ranger." He started pacing and muttering in Italian. I didn't understand the Italian, so I just sat there and watched him. He stopped the pacing and Italian and turned to me, glaring. He opened his mouth to say something, but then someone knocked on the door and he silenced and grew still.

Diesel came in. "Hi, Sunshine. I'm delivering Ranger to you. I talked to him, so now he knows what's actually going on. He thought it was my baby for a bit, but now he knows." At this point, Ranger walked in.

Morelli spun to him. "You!"

Diesel, who I don't think had noticed Morelli before now, took a nervous step towards the door. "Um…I think I should go. Wouldn't want to intrude on the…uh…family moment." Before I could figure out exactly what that was supposed to mean, he slipped out.

Morelli, who'd stopped when Diesel spoke, now turned his attention back to Ranger. He started his rant back up as though it hadn't been interrupted. "You just ruined my life. And Stephanies. And some young innocent's life. Well, I hope you're happy! She's yours! She'll never marry me, now, thanks to the fact that she's pregnant with _your_ baby!" He gave us each one more glare, then made a disgusted sound and stormed out of the room.

I looked over at Ranger's face. Based on his expression, Diesel hadn't done quite as excellent of a job explaining the situation as he thought. Because, unless I was completely wrong, Ranger hadn't had a clue the baby was his.

He'd been staring at the door through which Morelli had just left. Now, he turned, narrowing his eyes and locking his gaze on my face. Oh boy.

A/N: Please review. Oh, and Ally, the u/a thing was from me saying that it was possible I'd gotten the u wrong and it hadn't been J_u_n 20, meaning June 20, but was, in fact J_a_n 20, which would be January 20. However, as I said, I was right originally.


	7. The Talk

Disclaimer: See four.

Ok, so you know how, in the first chapter, I said this thing was plotless? Well, I'd figured it out up until chapter 8. I have no clue what's going on with the stalker. Obviously, there has to be some kind of confrontation with said stalker, but I don't know what. I do have a few ideas, but I don't really like any. So, if anyone has any ideas, please tell me. However, I might not use any of them. So, if you post one, don't feel insulted or rejected or any such feeling if I don't use your idea. Danke.

Chapter 7

Ranger just looked at me with narrowed eyes for a few seconds. His jaw was clenched, but other than that, it was hard to tell what his feelings towards me were at the moment. Based on the jaw clench, however, I was going to go with angry.

My guess was confirmed a few seconds later, when he started speaking. His tone was quiet, but lethal sounding. "So. The baby is _mine_." He shook his head, then repeated himself. "The baby is _mine_, but you didn't think that maybe _I_ might want to know? As far as I can tell, you told Lula, and Connie, probably your family as well and two other men, one of which hates me, and the other which seems determined to annoy me whenever possible." I was pretty sure Morelli was the first and Diesel was the second. "You didn't, however, think that I would want to know? Were you planning on ever telling me? Or you were just going to see if I noticed and then, when I commented on the fact that you were pregnant, you were just going to say 'Oh, surprise! I'm carrying your child!' You know, Babe, I was joking when I said I could help you with your maternal urges by getting you pregnant." (A/N: That's in reference to TTN, btw)

I shook my head. "I was trying to tell you. I was going to, and then I got shot."

"But you've been pregnant about two months. You could have told me before that."

I shook my head again. "I only found out yesterday. That's why Connie threw the folders at you."

"Then you should have told me yesterday. Instead, you told your friends about it, then you avoided me. I don't even mind that you told them before me. I think that's some kind of female thing, to tell best friends everything first. However, you should have told me when I came into the office, instead of running away." He was silent for a bit, and I think he was thinking about Diesel, because that was the topic when he started speaking again. "And, if you're pregnant with _my_ baby, why are you living with another man?" It was hard to be sure, but I think I sensed a bit of possessiveness in his tone.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Diesel just randomly showed up. I didn't even know he was anywhere nearby until he interrupted you trying to make me talk to you."

"I wasn't trying to make you talk to me. I just wanted information. But I'd never force you to do anything. You know, that, right, Babe?"

I hesitated, thinking of safe houses. Then I realized that, even the time when he'd handcuffed me and said he was taking me to a safe house, he'd never actually forced me. I nodded.

"What was the hesitation?" He was looking at me closely.

I told him. Then I added. "Also, when you handcuffed me to Tank, that was pretty much forcing me to leave."

He paused a moment, then nodded. "Ok, that's true. If you remember, however, you did eventually agree to go." I nodded. "And it would have been for your own good. So, I amend my former statement. I'll never force you to do anything unless I deem it absolutely necessary for your safety and you aren't cooperating for whatever reason."

I gave him a glare. But I wasn't actually angry. I'd been told often enough that I was too stubborn for my own good that I believed it. I sighed. "Fine."

Now, he added onto it. "Now that I think about it, I'll also force you to do something if it endangers our children."

I tried to raise an eyebrow and failed. "Children? I'm probably only having one."

Ranger looked startled for a second and then recovered. "Right. I meant child. And it's not definite that you'll only have one. You could be having quintuplets for all we know."

I grimaced. "I hope not."

Ranger smiled, then grew serious. "But speaking of our child, why didn't you tell me right away?"

I looked away for a bit, then back to him and I shrugged. "I wasn't sure how you'd react. I was just coming to terms with it myself, I wasn't ready to deal with your reaction. Plus, I was angry. You just left right after we had sex." I glared, warming to my subject. "Which is what you did last time, too. I don't expect a huge declaration of love and a proposal of marriage." I tried to keep wistfulness out of my tone at the mention of a declaration of love from Ranger, and I think I did a very good job at it. "But it would be nice to at least get a proper goodbye. All you said, both times, was 'I have to go.' It seems like with you, we can either have a friendship, or sex, and you seem incapable of both. When I was in your apartment, we had breakfast together and talked and all that, and you didn't seem to be completely exhausted by the effort." Aware that I was sounding like I wanted a relationship (which I did, but I wasn't going to tell him that), I stopped.

Ranger opened his mouth to speak and I quickly cut in. I didn't want him responding to any of that. In fact, I sort of wish I could take it back. It had felt good to get it all out, but now, looking back, I realized that it was the kind of discussion I might have had with Morelli before we broke up. It was the kind of discussion so often termed as 'The Talk.' And I didn't want to be giving Ranger The Talk. "Plus, I know that you don't do relationships. And if I told you about the baby, you'd pretty much be forced into a relationship."

Ranger waited a second, I think to make sure I was done, and then he spoke. "Look, Babe. When I said that my life doesn't lend itself to relationships—"

He was cut off by someone knocking on the door. I'm not sure if I was relieved or not. On the one hand, this could be getting close to some kind of commitment, and I really _did_ want a relationship with Ranger. On the other hand, I knew that Ranger didn't do relationships, so this conversation wasn't going to end happily for me, I'm sure.

I called for the knocker to come in, and a nurse walked in with a large vase of flowers. She set it down on the little table by my bed. "That was just delivered." She walked out.

I looked at the flowers curiously. I had no clue who had sent them. Then I noticed the small envelope nestled among the flowers. I plucked it out and looked at it. My name was written on it in large, loopy letters. I opened the envelope and pulled out a card. On the front, it said "Get Well Soon!"

I flipped it over and read the back, which wasn't nearly as nice as the front. _I didn't miss. Next time, I'll kill the baby. Or you. I haven't decided yet. Get well soon!_

I met Ranger's concerned gaze and silently passed him the note.


	8. You Were Mine

Disclaimer: If you haven't figured this out yet, you probably never will.

SO sorry that this took forever and a half to update. I had a _major_ writer's block. But, thanks to the helpful advice of Ally, I've sorted through my thoughts and stolen some of hers (-grin-) and thus, here is chapter 8.

Chapter 8

I watched Ranger read through the note. His entire expression grew angry and then shuttered and I was left looking at his blank face. However, even with the blank face, I could see he was furious.

He looked up at me. "Babe, I have to go." He brushed a light kiss over my lips and then he was gone.

I groaned. Why did the bouquet have to come now? Why couldn't it have come in fifteen minutes, when I knew what was going on with me and Ranger? But _nooo_, it just had to come now, right when we were getting somewhere.

I glared at the flowers and then sank down on the pillows, resigned to wait until I was released or Ranger came back, whichever happened first.

My wait lasted all of five minutes before the door opened. A man stepped in. I didn't know him, but I'm pretty sure I've seen him before. I was trying to figure out who he was, when he spoke.

"Surprised to see me?"

I recognized that voice, but just faintly. I tried to remember where I'd heard it. Oh yeah! I'd brought him in on a distraction job a while ago. Matt Clark, I think. I think I remember Ranger being annoyed about him a while after the distraction job. Something about him getting released because he hired a really good lawyer.

I didn't have a chance to formulate a response, because he walked over to my bedside. He ran his fingertip very lightly over my stomach. I shuddered and slapped his hand away. He narrowed his eyes and glared at me. "You shouldn't hit me. You're already in enough trouble."

Partially because I actually wanted to know what was going on, but partially because I was hoping someone would come back and help me, I asked, "Why? What did I do?"

He snorted. "Like you don't know. You were mine, and then, while I was away, you slept with another man. And got pregnant with his child!" I'm not entirely sure how he'd decided, after about 10 minutes of interaction, that he had ownership of me. "So, I don't know if I should kill the baby and give you another chance, or just kill you and find someone else." He smiled at me, but it wasn't a nice smile. It looked totally evil and also totally insane. "The other two didn't get another chance. Did you like my presents? I wanted to show you what might happen to you for your bad behavior." He shook his finger at me, like I was a naughty child. "You shouldn't be sleeping with other men. I don't want a whore for my woman."

I looked at the call button to get a nurse. Unfortunately, he stood between me and it. He noticed my glance and looked back at me, even more angry than he had been. "It hurts my feelings that you don't even want to spend some time with me. I'd been thinking that maybe I'd forgive you, but I changed my mind. I just don't know if I should kill you know or later. Are you scared? Because that will be your punishment. I want you to be scared before I kill you, so that before I kill you, you are begging for my forgiveness."

I tried to get out of the bed and put it between us, but, as I pushed up to a fully sitting position, a wave of dizziness hit me. He grabbed my wrist in a painful grip.

"Stop trying to leave."

I looked down at his hand, which felt like steel around my wrist, and then upat the insanity lurking in his eyes. I was dead.

Ranger's POV

I walked out of Stephanie's room, annoyed by the timing. Why had the flowers had to come then? Now, instead of telling her that I loved her, I had to go try to find her stalker. Did I want her stalker caught or killed so she and my baby would be safe? Yes. But did I want to have this stalker interrupt our conversation when I'd finally worked up the courage to actually tell her the truth without any stupid add-ons like 'in my own way'? No. I'd rather finish that conversation.

It was probably because I was so annoyed that I didn't notice Diesel standing by the exit until I'd walked past him and he grabbed my arm.

"Did you tell her?"

I turned and glared at him. He released my arm. "What? Tell who what?"

Diesel gave me an annoyed look. "You know. If you don't, you're an idiot. Did you tell Stephanie that you love her?" I shook my head and opened my mouth to explain, but he cut me off. Have I mentioned how much this guy annoys me? "Why didn't you tell her? I send you in there with one simple job. Talk to Stephanie, sort through your problems. But did you do that? Nooo! You just left, for some stupid reason, I'm sure, before you get anything solved. It's no wonder she didn't tell you about your baby! Look at you! You're a moron! Would I want a moron raising my baby? No. I should have said yes when she asked if I was going to help raise her baby. Better than subjecting the poor thing to you."

I stiffened. "She asked you to help her raise the baby?" I was getting angry. Partially at Stephanie, for asking another man to raise my baby before even mentioning to me that there was a baby to be raised. But also at Diesel, for even suggesting that he'd raise my baby.

Diesel looked at me and must have seen how angry I was, because he winced. "No. Not exactly. She asked if that's why I was here. I'm here because I was told that she was in danger and pregnant. She's always in danger, so that's not a big deal. But pregnancy screws women up. I've seen it first hand. So I knew that she might not be able to protect herself as well while pregnant. And seeing as how you're too busy being moronic to help her, I had to step in. So, she asked if I was here to raise the baby, but she didn't actually ask me _to_ raise the baby."

That calmed me down, despite the fact that I'd just been called a moron for the second time in the last minute or so.

Before I could reply, Diesel spoke again. "So, go back in there and talk to Stephanie. I'm tired of dealing with you two and your messed up relationship. Just figure it out."

I hesitated, then nodded. Not, of course, because I was obeying him. Just because it's what _I_ wanted to do. Just wanted to make that clear. I pulled out my cell phone and flipped it open, calling Tank. "I need to talk to Stephanie for a bit, and I want you to get started on looking for her stalker. I have a note here. I'm not sure it can help at all, but it has the name of the florist she just got flowers from. I'm giving the note to this guy here, Diesel. He'll stand here and give it to you." I gave Diesel a look that I was pretty sure would make sure he stayed and did what I wanted, then I described Diesel to Tank and hung up.

I handed the note to Diesel, then described Tank to him. Then I turned and went back the way I'd come, headed for Stephanie's room. Just as I reached the door, I heard a male voice.

"Stop trying to leave."

Shortly after that, I heard a sound that I think came from Stephanie. It was sort of a mix between a whimper and a groan, and it sounded totally hopeless and terrified.

A/N: Ok. Not the best ending ever, but whatever. I'll probably post 9, which'll probably be the conclusion, tomorrow. Please review. And, again, I'm sorry for the huge amount of time between 7 and this.


	9. The Actual Talk

Disclaimer: Nope. Still don't own anything.

Chapter 9

Ranger's POV

I stood frozen, looking at the scene before me. Stephanie was lying on the hospital bed, a man that looked faintly familiar holding her wrist with, if her look of pain could be counted on, a less than gentle grip.

I clicked off the safety on my gun and pointed it at him. "Get away from her." I really didn't want to kill someone in front of Stephanie, but I would if I had to. I know that she knows I killed Abruzzi, but she's never actually seen me kill someone, and I'd like it to stay that way.

The man looked at me and I recognized him as a skip I'd sent Stephanie after, Matt Clark. His eyes filled with hatred and then he whipped out a knife, pushing a button that sent the blade shooting out. He grabbed Stephanie's hair and pressed the knife to her pulse. My heart stopped for a second and then started up again at a speed that had to be at least three times as fast as was normal.

"I've decided, my dear." Clearly, he was talking to her, because I couldn't imagine him calling me his dear. "You don't get another chance. Maybe if you'd only slept with him, I'd forgive you. But because you are carrying his child." He shook his head. "I'm afraid that's unforgivable."

I flicked a glance to Stephanie, confused. I saw the terror in her eyes and looked back at Clark. I was careful to keep the fear that I was feeling out of my expression. At the same time, I was yelling at myself. I should have followed Stephanie from the office right away instead of bothering with the papers. Then, I should have made her tell me what was happening instead of just leaving when Diesel came. And then I should have kept her safe. And, even if I hadn't done any of that, I shouldn't have walked out just now. Instead, I should have stayed with her and called Tank to have him come get the note. But definitely, I should not have left her alone and given this psychopath a chance to get his hands on her.

I pushed aside my self recriminations for the moment and glared at Clark. "One more chance. Get away from her or I'll kill you."

Clark laughed. "You wouldn't dare. My knife is on her jugular. If you fire, I'd slit her throat before the bullet hit me, and then you'd lose your baby _and_ your lady love."

I wasn't sure if that was true or if he'd die before he could do anything. I wasn't, however, willing to risk it. "The way I see it, you're planning on killing her anyway." And if he did, I wouldn't shoot him. A bullet would be far too kind.

Clark smirked, looking down at Stephanie, but speaking to me. "You don't fool me. Your too scared to actually do anything. Now, I want you to drop your gun and slid it to me."

Of course, I did nothing of the sort. I kept my gun aimed between Clark's eyes, waiting for him to make some kind of mistake that would let me get rid of him without hurting Stephanie. I knew I'd have to kill him. As much as I didn't want Stephanie to see me kill someone, I would rather kill a thousand people in front of her than let anyone hurt her.

Clark took his gaze off Stephanie to glare at me. "Do it." I stayed still. "Now!" His grip tightened on her hair and, at the same time, he pressed the knife against her neck a bit harder. A tiny bead of blood welled up at the tip of the knife, then slowly dripped down Stephanie's neck.

I put the safety onto my gun and dropped it on the floor, kicking it towards him. I had plenty of other weapons on me. I no longer had one in my hands, which bothered me, but at the same time, a weapon in my hand was no use if it got Stephanie killed.

Clark chuckled. "Good. I see you can be trained." He looked down at Stephanie. "But what about you? If I change my mind and let you live, will you be good?" She didn't respond, but kept her gaze locked on me. She looked terrified, but at the same time, completely trusting, sure that I could get her out of the situation. Clark trailed the knife down her neck, not actually cutting her. "Answer me."

Stephanie nodded. "Yes."

Clark smiled. "Good." He continued to bring the knife lower and lower. Across her collarbone, then her shoulder, and down her arm. He pricked one of her fingertips and she winced.

And it was his confidence that was his mistake. Now that the knife was farther away from her neck, I could make my move. I reached to the small of my back and pulled out my gun, aiming and firing. All of it was accomplished in about a second, and Clark had just started to turn when the bullet hit his chest and, with a shocked expression on his face, he fell, the knife clattering harmlessly to the floor.

I ran to Stephanie. "Are you ok?" I pressed the call button without looking at it, not looking away from her face.

Stephanie nodded. Then she started crying. I sat on the edge of her hospital bed and gathered her into my arms, kissing the top of her head and squeezing my eyes shut to prevent myself from crying as well. That was, I think, the scariest experience of my life, but she didn't need me falling apart right now.

She wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her face into my chest. Her words, when she spoke, were slightly muffled. "Ranger, I was so scared. I didn't think you'd come back in time. And then, when you did, I thought he'd kill me before you could do anything. I thought I was gonna die."

I kissed her again. "I know, babe. I was scared too."

She froze, then looked up at me, her tears abruptly stopped. "You were scared?"

I nodded, taking advantage of her upturned face to kiss her lips. It had been meant as a gentle, basically chaste kiss, but, had the nurse not entered right then, it wouldn't have stayed that way.

The nurse came in and cleared her throat. She stared at Clark's body, and then looked over at us. I was leaning against the wall and Stephanie was in my lap, twisted in an awkward position so that she was facing me. Stephanie had a small path of blood from the middle of her throat down to her hospital gown, where a bloody patch was spreading in the fabric. One of her fingers was also bleeding, but just barely. The nurse's eyes were so wide, it was a miracle her eyes didn't pop out of her head.

I set Stephanie back on the bed and stood, though I didn't move away from her, staying about four inches away from her. "This man tried to kill Stephanie. Please call the police and also check Stephanie's injuries." True, they were tiny. However, at the moment, I didn't feel like taking any chances with anything.

Stephanie shook her head. "I'm fine. These don't even deserve a bandaid." I started to protest and she shook her head. "Really, I'm ok. Just…" she looked at Clark, and then quickly looked away. "am I allowed to leave yet?"

The nurse checked the chart she'd brought with her and nodded. "Yes. We were actually just about to release you. Just make sure you make that appointment we discussed to check on the baby."

Stephanie nodded. "And can I have my clothes back?" The nurse nodded, left, and returned a few minutes later, handing Stephanie a bag of clothes. Stephanie looked at the clothes, then at the nurse. "This isn't the shirt I wore in."

The nurse shook her head. "No. Some man brought it."

Stephanie pulled it out and I grinned. It was one of mine. "Must have been Tank. I can send him to get you something else, if you want."

Stephanie shook her head, smiling. I was surprised she could smile after going through that. Of course, I suppose she must be used to it. I, on the other hand, was still pretty freaked out form it. It's true I too should probably be used to it by now, but I still get really scared whenever I'm told that she's in trouble. "I think it's nice. I'm surprised he thought of it."

She walked to the door that led to the bathroom attached to the hospital room. I stood outside the door while she changed. She came back out and looked up at me. "Can we go, please?"

I nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist. I did it for several reasons. One, to reassure myself that she was alive and, mostly, unhurt. But also, because I had no intention of letting her out of my sight until we'd had the discussion that got interrupted earlier. If then.

Stephanie looked up at me in surprise when I wrapped my arm around her. I just smiled down at her and then started walking out of the door. She walked beside me, and, after a moment's hesitation, even wrapped her arm around my waist. I smiled down at her again.

I managed to avoid the waiting room. I didn't want her being commandeered by Lula and Connie. Right now, she was all mine. Hopefully, she'd still be mine after we talked.

Once we were in my car and I'd started driving she spoke. "Where are we going?"

"My apartment." I knew she was wondering why, so I answered before she could ask. "We need to talk, babe. About the baby, and about us. But I want to be able to focus completely, so we're not doing it until we're somewhere safe where I don't need to worry about driving or you getting hurt."

She just nodded and the rest of the ride was spent in silence. As was the walk to the elevator, the ride up in the elevator, and the walk to my couch. Then, I sat down and she sat down next to me, turning her body to look at me.

"So." She then fell silent, clearly waiting for me to start talking.

Well, I might as well just get to the point. "Babe, I love you. I never should have sent you back to Morelli. And forget the 'in my own way.' I love you completely. As in, I want to marry you, have children with you, grow old with you, kind of love. My life doesn't lend itself to relationships, but I've realized every day since I said that that it's worth the effort and pushing you away all this time is the stupidest thing I've ever done."

Stephanie was staring at me. Guess the direct approach was a little too abrupt. "Babe?"

She blinked a few times, then smiled and launched herself at me, hugging me. "I love you, Ranger." She raised her head and kissed me.

A few minutes later, I pulled back. Both of my hands were in her shirt (don't ask me how they got there, it wasn't a conscious decision), and we were both breathing very hard. I removed my hands and looked at her. "So was that a yes?"

She looked surprised. "That was a proposal? I thought you were just laying out your plans for some day in the distant future."

"Yes, it was a proposal." Based on the fact that my proposal wasn't even recognizable as one, I suppose it's safe to say I'm not the most romantic man ever. I didn't even have a ring. Of course, in my defense, I hadn't exactly planned on this when I woke up this morning.

Stephanie smiled at me. "Then, yes. Definitely."

"Good." I returned the smile. I was trying to figure out what to do next. Possibly, I could just return to what I'd been doing, but I didn't want it to seem like I only wanted her for sex. On the other hand, I could just sit in an awkward silence, like I was doing right now.

Stephanie solved the problem by reaching up and wrapping her arms around my neck and then kissing me again. That pretty much settled it, so we resumed our activities of moments before, although now we moved into the bedroom.

Quite some time later, Stephanie, who was snuggled up against me, with my arms around her, spoke. "So, do I have to wait until after we're married to see the Batcave?"

I grinned. "Babe."

A/N: Ok. The end. I hope you liked the ending, or at least didn't dislike it too much. Please review. And, I'm sorry if everyone seemed really out of character: I've been working on my novel more than fanfics lately, so I'm not used to writing about Stephanie and Ranger. There were many times when I almost called them Nicole and Eric (the main characters in my book) rather than Stephanie and Ranger, so count your blessings!

Oh, and I know that I pretty much didn't include her family in this at all. Possibly, I'll write another chapter in which she and Ranger tell her family about the baby. But, not right now. This was mainly focusing on Ranger and Stephanie's relationship.


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